Raphiolepis hybrid plant named ‘Wilcor’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of  Raphiolepis×delacourii  found as an openly pollinated seedling of  Raphiolepis×delacourii  ‘Georgia Charm’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,982. The new variety is unique with its dense, mounding growth habit, resistance to Entomosporium leaf spot, increased cold hardiness, and abundance of late blooming white flowers.

Genus species: Raphiolepis hybrid delacourii.

Varietal denomination: ‘Wilcor’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of the genusRaphiolepis and a member of the Rosaceae family. This new Raphiolepisvariety, hereinafter referred to as ‘Wilcor’ was discovered by Will LeeCorley in May, 1995. ‘Wilcor’ was found as an openly pollinated seedlingof Raphiolepis×delacourii ‘Georgia Charm’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,982. Mr.Corley found the seedling at the University of Georgia ExperimentStation at Griffin, Ga. The value of this new cultivar lies in itsdense, mounding growth habit, resistance to Entomosporium leaf spot,increased cold hardiness, and abundance of late-blooming white flowers.The new variety has retained many of the outstanding attributes of itsparent cultivar, in particular its tolerance of heat, drought, salt, anddisease, which makes it adaptable to culture in most of the SunbeltStates. As with the parent cultivar, the plant of this invention may beadvantageously employed as a specimen appointment, a ground cover, ineither formal or informal groupings, and is quite attractive in massplantings. ‘Wilcor’ serves well in foundation plantings and is adaptablefor culture as a potted plant. ‘Wilcor’ is responsive to pruning andtraining and may be employed in forming dense, attractive hedges, andmaintained without an excessive amount of care. This plant is easy tocare for and maintain in size due to its short internodes, heavybranching, and dense canopy. Its natural propensity to remain small tomaturity makes it valuable for landscape uses in smaller home gardenswhich requires plants that do not outgrow their intended maturedimensions.

Asexual propagation of the new plants by cuttings has been under Mr.Corley's direction in Griffin, Ga. The new plant retains its distinctivecharacteristics and reproduces true to the type in successivegenerations. The plant cannot be reproduced true from seed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following are the most outstanding and distinguishingcharacteristics of this new cultivar when grown under normalhorticultural practices in Griffin, Ga.

-   -   1. Dense and mounding in nature. Plant is wider than tall.    -   2. Mature leaves are a lustrous dark green color.    -   3. Moderate to slow growth rate, requiring little pruning.    -   4. Hardy to Zone 7b.    -   5. Heat and drought tolerant.    -   6. Adaptable to a wide range of soil types.    -   7. Good plant for coastal areas because of wind and salt        tolerance.    -   8. Has shown good resistance to leaf spot.    -   9. Relatively pest resistant.    -   10. Good specimen plant.    -   11. Good foundation plant.    -   12. Makes a very good low-growing hedge.    -   13. Very desirable in planters.    -   14. The flowers are single, white, fragrant, profuse, and        late-blooming.    -   15. Produces seeds and therefore may result in bird visitations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This new Raphiolepis hybrid variety is illustrated by the accompanyingphotographic prints in which:

1. The photograph at the top of the sheet is a close-up showing theflower, buds, foliage and stem color, as well as flower size and form.

2. The photograph at the bottom of the sheet shows the dense andmounding growth habit of a three gallon plant.

The colors shown are as true as is reasonably possible to obtain byconventional photographic procedures. Colors in the photographs mayappear different than actual colors due to light reflectance. The colorsof the various plant parts are defined with reference to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart. Description of colors in ordinaryterms are presented where appropriate for clarity in meaning.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following is a detailed description of the new variety ofRaphiolepis based on my observations made of two year old plants grownin three gallon containers in commercial production practices, ingreenhouses, and in established landscape plantings in Griffin, Ga.

Distinctive Characteristics:

TABLE 1 Raphiolepis Raphiolepis Raphiolepis Raphiolepis Character- X X‘Georgia X X istic ‘Wilcor’ Charm’ ‘Eskimo’ ‘Ovata’ Height 2-3′ 3-4′5-6′ 4-6′ (Mature) Width 3-4′ 4-5′ 7-8′ 4-6′ (Mature) Leaf Length 21/8-2 5/8″ 1 3/4-2″ 1 7/8-2 1/8″ 1-1 1/2″ Leaf Width 1-1 3/8″ 5/8-7/8″5/8-7/8″ 3/4-1 1/4″ Leaf Margin Entire to Distally Serrate to Serrate todistally serrate crenate crenate serrate Leaf Curvature Almost flatAlmost flat Slightly Almost flat wavy Leaf Shape Elliptic- Elliptic-Elliptic- Ovate- obovate obovate obovate broad ovate Flower Color WhiteWhite Light pink White Bloom Period Late April- Mid-Late Mid-LateMid-Late Mid May April April April Hardy Zone 7b 7b 7b 7b Leaf Spot HighHigh High High Resistance

Each of the cultivars, ‘Wilcor’, ‘Georgia Charm’, and ‘Eskimo’ arecultivars of Rosaceae Raphiolepis hybrid delacourii, The author of thegenus name Raphiolepis is John Lindley (1799-1865). The speciesdelacourii was named by Edouard Francois Andre (1840-1911). This hybridwas first reported in the late nineteenth century by a gardener namedDelacour in Cannes, France and is an apparent hybrid of Raphiolepisumbellata and Raphiolepis indica. Raphiolepis umbellata ‘Ovata’ is alsoin the Rosaceae family. The author of the species name umbellata is CarlPehr Thunberg (1743-1824) and the author of the cultivar ‘Ovata’ isCharles Briot (1804-1888).

Extensive breeding work has been performed at the University of GeorgiaExperiment Station at Griffin, Ga. to produce Raphiolepis cultivars withincreased resistance to Entomosporium maculatum leaf spot and increasecold hardiness. The varieties Raphiolepis×delacourii ‘Eskimo’(unpatented) and Raphiolepis umbellata ‘Ovata’ (unpatented) wereselected as the best in these two categories. Raphiolepis×delacourii‘Georgia Charm’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,982 is a seedling which wasproduced from a cross between these two varieties. ‘Georgia Charm’ wasused as the female or seed parent of the new cultivarRaphiolepis×delacourii ‘Wilcor’ which not only retained the leaf spotresistance and cold hardiness but also has a more compact growth habitand blooms two weeks later. This delayed bloom period can beadvantageous in years when late frosts occur.

-   Classification:-   Botanical: Raphiolepis×delacourii ‘Wilcor’.-   Parentage: Openly pollinated seedling of Raphiolepis×delacourii    ‘Georgia Charm’.-   Commercial: Broadleaf evergreen.-   Form: Dense and mounding.-   Height: 2-3′.-   Width: 3-4′.-   Growth rate: Moderate slow under normal fertilization and moisture    conditions. Semi-hardwood cuttings taken in late spring and through    the summer produce rooted cuttings in three to four months in    Griffin, Ga. Root development is vigorous and finely branched. In a    period of six years from a rooted cutting, the plant reaches a    height of 2 feet and a spread of 3 feet under normal growing    conditions in Griffin, Ga. The plant normally grows at the rate of    about 4 inches or more per year and reaches a height of 3 feet and a    spread of 4 feet at maturity while maintaining a dense habit due to    the abundant branch development.-   Foliage: Alternate, simple, evergreen, elliptic to obovate, almost    flat, and varying in size from 2⅛″ to 2⅝″ long and 1″ to 1⅜″ wide.    The margins are entire to distally serrate. The petioles are ¼″ to    ⅞″ long, 1/16″ in diameter and Yellow-Green Group 146C. The midrib    is prominent on both sides of the leaf and the smaller veins are    prominent on the underside. Veins are depressed on the upper side    giving a leathery appearance. These upper veins are Yellow-Green    Group 146C. The base of the leaf is attenuate to cuneate and the    apex is obtuse. The upper surface of the mature leaf is Yellow-Green    Group 147A, glossy and glabrous. The underside is Yellow-Green Group    146C and matte. The underside veins are Yellow-Green Group 146A.    These mature leaf colors are persistent throughout the winter. The    immature leaves are tomentulose and pronounced with a reddish    pigmentation, Greyed-Purple Group 183B, which changes to    Yellow-Green Group 147A in three to four weeks in Griffin, Ga. The    paired foliaceous stipules are 3/16″ to ⅜″ long and 1/16″ to ⅛″    wide. The upper surface is Yellow-Green Group 145A and the underside    is Yellow-Green Group 145B. The stipules are caducous.

In 2002, the date of initial spring growth was March 18, in Griffin, Ga.After the initial spring flush there was almost continuous slow growthuntil fall, ending October 30, also in Griffin, Ga. When grown in fullsun, the internode length of this plant is 5/16″ to 9/16″. When grown inlight shade the internode length is 7/16″ to ¾″. As would be expected, aplant grown in the shade results in a taller, less dense plant withlarger leaves.

-   Stems: The young shoots have a reddish pigmentation, Greyed-Purple    Group 183B, and are tomentulose. The base of the immature petioles    is also Greyed-Purple Group 183B. This new growth becomes    Yellow-Green Group 146B in three to four weeks. After one or more    years, the stems are generally grey (Greyed-Green Group 197B),    glabrous, and rugose. The pith is solid and uniform.-   Flowers: Perfect, single to semi-double, White Group 155D front and    back, ⅞″ in diameter by ½″ in depth, fragrant, borne on dense,    upright, tomentulose, 3 to 4″ high and wide terminal panicles from    late April to mid May. Each panicle has from 3-9 racemes which have    from 1-6 flowers each, resulting in forty or more flowers per    panicle. A mature plant can have 100 or more panicles. The flowers    are attached to short pedicels which are ¼″ to ½″ in length and    Yellow-Green Group 144A. The peduncle of each raceme is from ½″ to    2½″ long and Yellow-Green Group 144A. Each flower has 5-9 petals    that are 7/16″ long, 5/16″ wide, obovate, and have obtuse tips. The    flower has from 15 to 20 stamens, ¼″ long, White Group 155C, with    anthers Yellow Group 9B. The pollen matures to Yellow Group 9A. The    pistil is 5/16″ long, White Group 155C, and consists of two styles    which are united and have ciliate margins. The base of the stamens    and pistil change to a deep maroon color (Red-Purple Group 60B) two    to three days after opening. Each flower has five sepals that are ⅛″    long, 1/16″ wide, lanceolate, and fused into a calyx. The calyx is    ¼″ in diameter, ⅜″ in depth, Yellow-Green Group 144B, has ciliate    margins and acuminate tips. In 2002, the blooming period began April    17, in Griffin, Ga. and ended May 12. The self-cleaning blooms last    five to seven days on the plant in the garden.-   Fruit: Drupaceous, globose, ¼″ to ⅜″ in diameter, 1 to 2 seeded.    Summer fruit color Yellow-Green Group 144A ripen to Greyed-Purple    Group 187A in the fall and persists as Black Group 202A attractively    through the winter. Mature seeds are Greyed-Orange Group 163A    beneath the pericarp.-   Culture: Grows well in a wide range of conditions and tolerates sun    to part shade. Grows in nearly any soil type, from moist to very dry    and sand to clay. Responds well to mulching and medium applications    of fertilizer; prefers ph 6 to 7. Very little pruning is needed.    Adaptable to containers and above ground planters. Ideal for coastal    regions and warmer parts of the Piedmont. Tolerates wind and salt    spray. Propagated with semi-hardward cuttings in late spring through    the summer.-   Pests: None have been observed to date.

1. A new and distinct variety of Raphiolepis plant named ‘Wilcor’, asillustrated and described.